Digitized Jockey

Vinyl Scratch tapped her hoof impatiently, she was aggravated. She tapped on the door rapidly again, this time louder.

"Vinyl..." A very familiar voice said next to her. "That's the third time you've knocked. Maybe you should just try again in the morning."

Vinyl sighed, glancing at the gray-maned mare with deep purple eyes, she was briefly entranced by them for the billionth time, before coming to her sense a milisecond later.

"Technically, Octy..." The DJ said. "It's already morning, it's just early morning."

"You call 4:00 AM early morning!?"

Vinyl stared at Octavia, magically levitating her oversized glasses slightly lower so that Octavia could see her 'did you forget who you're talking to?' look.

Octavia rolled her eyes.

"Yes, yes, I know you spend many nights awake what with your profession and all but I know that you know that Miss Sparkle doesn't usually stay up this late. Like many normal ponies she sleeps."

Vinyl snorted in laughter. "Yeah, clearly you don't know her. Do you have any idea how many all nighters she does doing Celestia knows what in that library?"

"Well..." Octavia paused. "Maybe she's catching up on lost sleeping time, perhaps?"

Vinyl shook her head. "No no no no... She's awake, I know..."

She knocked again, banging on the door. The two mares waited a few moments, before Vinyl groaned in frustration.

"That's it! Four knocks is as good a warning as any!" She said before her horn glowed violently with magic. A few seconds later the library door was in numerous pieces scattered throughout the main area of the library. Vinyl walked casually, a light smile on her face, leaving a jaw-dropped Octavia behind, before the mare came to her senses and ran in.

"Vinyl Scratch! What in the name of Celestia are you doing!?"

Vinyl paused, turning with a raised eyebrow to her friend.

"It's called a surprise casual visit."

Octavia stared, momentarily speechless. "Vinyl you... YOU BLEW UP THE FRONT DOOR!"

"Well yeah... hence the 'surprise'."

"You... you're... ugh... Why do I bother?"

The DJ shrugged. "I dun know..." before turning around.

"Hey! Twilight!" She called out. "There's something I want to talk to you about!"

"We're very sorry about this, Miss Sparkle!" Octavia said. "But Vinyl is an idiot, in case you didn't realize!"

The two stood there in the dark library for a moment, waiting for a response.

"Uh... Helllooooo~?"

"M-miss Sparkle?"

Another moment, no answer.

"Huh..." Vinyl said. "You think I accidentally killed her when I blew the door apart?"

Octavia felt the blood drain from her face, and she began quickly looking around for a twisted and mangled body, causing the DJ unicorn to burst in laughter. The Earth pony glared at the laughing unicorn, who quickly calmed down.

"Don't worry... the worst thing that spell could do to a pony is give 'em a few bruises. Nothing major."

"Still... I'm a little worried as to why Miss Sparkle isn't responding to us."

"Maybe she's a heavy sleeper." Vinyl momentarily glanced at some nearby wood shrapnel. "...A really heavy sleeper..."

Before Octavia could respond, the unicorn trotted up the stairs to Twilight's bedroom where she noticed the bed being empty.

"Huh..." The unicorn said. "Well, she's not in bed, so mystery solved why she isn't responding... she ain't here."

Vinyl walked back down the stairs to the nervous Octavia.

"Octy? You okay?"

"No, Vinyl, I'm worried about Miss Sparkle and I'm wondering where, if not here, could she possibly be."

"Sleepover with one of her friends, maybe." Vinyl suggested casually.

Octavia blinked, then realized that that was a reasonable and realistic suggestion.

"Oh... Perhaps you're right..."

"This actually works out very well." The unicorn stated, a mischevious grin slowly appearing on her face.

This made Octavia more nervous.

"Vinyl... you've got that look on your face, you know I don't like that look..."

"Oh don't worry Octy, it's nothing major, I'm just gonna do a little exploring, maybe find out what this unicorn has been up to these last few days..."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Vinyl made her way to another door, a door that led to the basement of the library.

"Let me tell you..." She began to her friend who caustiously followed her...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vinyl stepped down from her setup, grinning wide to the content patrons of the bar. She made her way over to the bar, eager to have a few drinks during her break. As she waited for her order to arrive, she glanced at the two mares sitting next to her and recognized them immediately, even though they weren't regular customers.

The rainbow-maned pegasus covered her ears, her wings flexing uncomfortably.

"Ugh... why here, Twilight?" She asked the lavender unicorn that sat next to her. "Why did it have to be a crowded, noisy, indoor rave party? Couldn't it be in some mysterious dark back alleyway or something?"

The unicorn shook her head, she looked slightly nervous.

"My contact specifically requested that this be the meeting point for the transaction."

Rainbow Dash groaned.

"Ugh, why am I here? Shouldn't it be AJ being down here instead of at the door?"

"I don't exactly trust these guys, Dash." Twilight answered. "They make me nervous, I'd like somepony around that I know I can trust just in case... something doesn't go according to plan. Plus, you know AppleJack hates these raves as much as you do and you lost the rock, paper, scissors match. And I need the extra hooves to help me carry the equipment."

"Hmph... fine." Rainbow Dash crossed her forehooves in frustration. "But why here are we doing this all secret like? Is there something you're not telling us, Twilight?"

Twilight didn't answer for a moment. "Yes... these ponies aren't exactly... respectful of the law, but I need the their equipment to complete my project."

"Project? What in Celestia's name are you taking about?"

"I can't tell you here, Dash. But... to make up for the help you're giving me, I can show you later tonight."

"Show me? Why not just tell me?"

Twilight didn't answer at first.

"I'll just say that this project could change the face of Equestria as we know it now please, I'll answer all your questions later just not... not now..."

"Alright, but I expect you keep your promise."

"You know I will Dash."

By this point, Vinyl had finished her drink and her interest was piqued greatly. She wanted to listen in more, but her break was over. When she was finished her next set of music, Rainbow and Twilight were gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"That was four days ago and, ever since then, I've been trying to find out what the hay Twilight is working on." Vinyl finished.

Octavia stared while Vinyl idly looked as several pieces of scientific equipment which hadn't been used in weeks.

"Is that it?" She asked.

"Well, I ran into Twilight yesterday and peppered her with questions about what it was she was doing at the rave party and what she's working. She was very reluctant to talk about it, but I eventually persuaded here to show me and she said she'd show later that day. Well, I've waited long enough so I'm gonna find out what it is myself."

Octavia blinked.

"I don't believe this... this has nothing to do with you, yet you're breaking and entering, rummaging through somepony else's things and trying to find out something that is obviously private to another pony just because you're curious!?"

"Well... yeah? I honestly don't see what the big deal is, Octy, sheesh."

The cellist sighed.

"You are unbelievable, what on earth is driving you to do this?"

"Well, think about it, Octy... Twilight Sparkle is the personal student of Princess Celestia herself and she is making some sort of deal with ponies who have been known to break the law, which suggests that she is doing something not 100% legal and she mentions a special project that she is very protective of and could change the face of Equestria as we know it. Doesn't that just beg the question; what the buck is she working on!?"

"Well... when you put it like that... it does sound suspicious, and Twilight is a very respectable pony from what I hear. But that still doesn't"

"Shh!" Vinyl raised a forehoof, causing Octavia to shut up. "You feel that?"

Octavia glanced left and right.

"Feel what?" She asked, her voice a whisper.

"There's a heavily enchanted object nearby..." Vinyl took a few steps forward, glancing at a loose stone on the floor, before levitating it slightly with her magic. Suddenly a door next to her that wasn't their previously opened up, leading to a mysterious room. A huge smile appeared on the DJ's face.

"Okay... a secret door... a bucking secret door. Now there is no going back." She said before striding inside.

"Vinyl wait... I don't think we should go in... oh, I'm doing it again... I'm bothering trying to stop her when it's absolutely pointless..." Octavia said before following her friend in.

The two mares glanced at a strange light that glowed from a nearby table. Walking up to it, Vinyl's went wide at what she saw.

"Oh my bucking Celestia... It's one of those futuristic computer consoles... I didn't think these were real!"

"A what?"

"You remember that computer I tried setting on at our house a few days ago?"

"The one that nearly fried you to a crisp and almost destroyed out house?"

"Yeah that... well, this one is 1000 times better and safer. This must be what Twilight was given that day at the rave party."

Octavia looked at the side of the machine, where she saw a word inscribed efficiently on the side.

"EquisCOM... You think those are the ponies who gave Twilight the machine."

Vinyl shrugged, her full attention on the computer. She tapped a forehoof on the keyboard, where a word popped up.

"Password? Aw crud..."

"What are you doing? This is obviously an expensive piece of equipment that Twilight likely risked a lot on getting."

"I'm not gonna wreck it." Vinyl said. "But I'm willing to bet that whatever project Twilight is working on this computer so..."

The DJ flexed her hooves, ready to use the keyboard.

"Let's crack this obstacle."

"Vinyl, how are you going to get past it?"

"Start with the basics..." The unicorn tapped a word and a positive sounding ding was heard as the two mares stared at the screen, mouths dropped, in shock.

"No way..." Vinyl said.

"I don't believe it..."

"No, she isn't that foalish, is she?"

"How can somepony as intelligent as her make such a ridiculous mistake?"

"I... wow..." Vinyl shook her head. "Her password is... password."

The two mares stared in shock for a moment before Vinyl started cracking up.

"Vinyl!" Octavia hissed.

"What? You have to admit, this is hilarious!"

The cellist shook her head, unable to admit that Vinyl was right.

"Just hurry up and start seeing if that project is in their."

"Alright, alright..." Vinyl said impatiently, flexing her hooves before tapping on the keyboard. "Now let's see... secret project... nothing.... oh I know... history... here we are..."

Octavia looked at the list of words on the screen.

"Huh..." The DJ said. "Any idea what 'laser control' is?"

"No, do you?"

"Not a clue... but it's been accessed multiple times over the last few days. In fact that's the only thing that's been used with this computer. What a waste of good tech."

Vinyl sat in the chair for a moment, before she began typing again.

"Vinyl, what are you doing?"

"Activating the laser."

"What? Why are you doing that?"

Unknown to the two mares, a turret, previously hidden, began to make a faint humming noise as power began to reactivate it.

"Because I want to see what it does, this might be the project Twilight has been working on."

At the tip of the turret, a small dot of light began to glow and the computer inside began to make small adjustments, aiming directly at the unicorn sitting in front of the computer.

"But you don't know what it'll do. We might need protection or something."

"And?" The unicorn leaned back when she saw the words; powering up, please wait...

The light began glowing brighter and brighter.

"Vinyl, there is something many ponies and living things in general are born with... it's called common sense!"

"Octy, you've known me for how long now? Besides, in my experience, common sense just holds us back."

"Vinyl, one of these days your reckless actions-

"Already bit me in the flank several times in the past." The DJ said. "But that's what makes things exciting, I like when unexpected things happen to me, especially if their caused by my past act-"

Vinyl was cut short when a laser beam struct her in the back of her head. Octavia shielded her eyes as a bright flash enveloped the room. When Octiavia opened her eyes, Vinyl Scratch was gone and all that remained were her glasses...